When James Joseph moved back to his village in Kerala after years in the global corporate world, he didn’t expect his next chapter to begin with a jackfruit hanging outside his window. He was writing a book, working remotely, and settling into a slower life. But that single jackfruit — heavy, fibrous, ignored — sparked a question that refused to leave him: Why did a fruit so rich in nutrition disappear from the Indian plate?
The answer began to unfold when a local priest visited him with a disturbing experience. The priest had replaced his dinner rice with unripe jackfruit and taken his usual insulin dose. That night, he collapsed from hypoglycemia. This pushed James to investigate further. Scientific studies soon revealed what tradition had always known: unripe jackfruit has 40% lower carbohydrate and calorie load than rice and wheat, and four times more fiber. It naturally reduces post-meal sugar spikes.
The breakthrough came when Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam examined the data. He called it “pure science” and set James a challenge that changed everything:
“Add jackfruit to the food people already eat. Don’t ask them to change their habits.”
For the next 18 months, James worked like an engineer, not a chef. He perfected a flour made from unripe jackfruit that could blend into atta and everyday Indian batters without altering taste or texture. Two patents followed — one for the formula, one for the processing method.
A clinical trial confirmed the impact: Three tablespoons a day for 90 days reduced HbA1c levels, with the results accepted by the American Diabetes Association and published by a Nature Group journal.
Today, over seven lakh Indians use Jackfruit 365. Farmers who once ignored wild jackfruit trees now earn from them. Families add a tablespoon to their rotis, dosas, idlis, or lassis. And for Rs. 20 a day, India gets a simple, science-backed way to support liver health and manage blood sugar — without changing the food it loves.
This is the story of how one man, one fruit, and one idea created India’s most unexpected food innovation.
